Scenes From A Life
by UnaVitaSegreta
Summary: What if Season Six had ended with Lorelai knocking on Chris’ door and not her sleeping with him? How would the lives of Lorelai and Luke be different? What if she had agreed to elope when Luke came to her house the next day? A JavaJunkie story.
1. Old Habits Die Hard

**Chapter One: Old Habits Die Hard**

Lorelai sat on the couch in his living room. Chris was in the kitchen looking for bar glasses.

She looked down at her feet. It was hard to believe. It's over. It's really over. She'd really done it. Well, he had done it. She had given him a choice. She had laid her heart out on the line and he rejected her. It was just hard to believe that it had ended like this.

Luke was supposed to be the one. He was the relationship that was meant to be, the relationship that was not meant to end. Yet it had. It had ended. She had thought that this time was different; but it too had ended, just like all the other relationships.

In all truth it had ended the day that April came into his life. He didn't tell her about April. They were a team and he didn't tell her. She had to find out on her own. And even after she did, she wasn't allowed to be part of his life with April. How could they really be together all the way if they were living separate lives?

Looking back, she should have known that it was ending even back then. She had all the signs. She just didn't want to see it. She kept hoping that it would get better. But it didn't. It didn't get better. It only got worse. They only grew apart.

"Your favorite," he said, holding a glass out to her. His voice startled her.

Lorelai looked up at Chris, taking the glass from him. She sniffed it before taking a sip. Cognac. She didn't tell him that she had always hated cognac. She had thought she liked it when she was fifteen and sneaking out of the house to get drunk with him. But now it just reminded her of her childhood and the wild and foolish kids they had once been.

"So, it's really over, huh?" he asked, sitting down.

Lorelai nodded, staring at her glass before taking another sip. "Yep. It's over."

Chris was about to say something when Gigi came bouncing down the stairs, calling for her Daddy. The nanny chased after her, but she immediately ran to Chris.

"Read me a book, Daddy," she begged, climbing into his lap.

"I can't, sweetheart. Daddy has company." He motioned towards Lorelai. The girl smiled at her for a second, but turned back to her father.

Lorelai watched the two of them. She watched their interaction as father and daughter. For a second, she thought that it was Luke sitting in the chair and not Chris. The idea of Luke and their daughter made her smile. Luke and their little girl – what an image. As soon as the thought came so did the realization that it was never going to happen. She and Luke weren't going to have a little girl. Or a little boy. They weren't going to have a future at all. It was over.

"Please, Daddy! Just one story!" Gigi begged again.

Lorelai sat her drink down on the table, standing up. "I really should be going. You go read her a story."

"Lor-"

"No, I … I shouldn't be here. I have to go."

Chris tried to protest, to beg her to stay. But she was already at the door and Gigi was hanging onto him still beginning him to read her a book. All he could do was watch the door close behind her. Something told him that it was the last time she'd ever be the one to come to him. He could see it in her eyes. Luke was the man that she really wanted, not him. It was finally time to let her go.


	2. All Alone

**Chapter Two: All Alone**

Lorelai turned the key in the ignition and the engine was quiet. As she pushed the car door open it felt like the door was the weight of the world and she was pushing against it. She had only had one drink, but she felt herself to be uneasy and very tired. It took her a few tries to get the key into the lock and open the front door. By the time she pushed it open she was already crying. As she shut the door behind her, she leaned back against it. She didn't want to go any further than the entranceway. The house had too many memories of Luke. He was everywhere.

Pushing herself forward, she wiped her eyes dry. She tried to remind herself that she was not the kind of woman who cried over a guy. Then again Luke wasn't your average guy. He was Luke. He was the one person who had always been there for her. He was the constant in her life.

As she looked around the living room, every bit of it reminded her of him.

The couch. He'd repaired a broken leg on it a few years ago when she and Rory had suddenly felt like jumping up and down on it when Kelly Clarkson had won American Idol. They didn't really like the show, but they had gotten caught up in the excitement of it all.

The pictures on the wall. He had hung all of them. She had tried to find a stud or stunt or whatever it's called and hang them herself. Instead, she tore a hole in the sheetrock when the picture finally tore from the wall. In the end, she did what she always did and called Luke to hang the pictures correctly – and safely.

The staircase. He'd fixed that too. When she first moved in the house had been in need of some repairs. The staircase wasn't very sturdy and he'd fixed it so that it would be safe for her and Rory.

There wasn't a thing in the house that he hadn't touched.

As she tossed her purse on the table she saw the blinking light of the machine. Out of habit, she pressed the button to replay the message. It was probably Sookie or Michel calling about the plumber at the Inn. Michel had already called her three times about him.

She leaned against the couch, taking off her shoes. It wasn't Sookie. And it wasn't Michel. Lorelai's head jerked up when she heard his voice.

"_Hey … it's me. It's like four thirty or something. I thought maybe we could grab a late dinner. Uh … just call me later, I guess. Ok. Bye_."

She let out a heavy sigh. Six hours ago everything had been different. Just six hours ago.

She heard his voice again on the machine.

"_Hey … it's me again. I forgot to say that April is coming by after school. So it'll probably be eight or nine before I can do dinner. Ok. Bye_."

Suddenly she felt angry. Angry that Luke could just let go of their life so easily. Angry that she had pushed him too hard. As the machine beeped and started to rewind itself she lunged for it. Tearing the cord out of the wall, she flung it across the room. It barreled through the magazines on the coffee table and landed on the floor in a broken heap.

Lorelai's chest heaved up and down as she tried to catch her breath. She didn't want to think about him. She went into the kitchen and rummaged under a counter for a few minutes. She pulled out a box, dumping its contents onto the kitchen table. Going back into the living room she began to fill the box with items. Everything that reminded her of Luke.

She picked up the blanket off the back of the couch. He'd covered her with it whenever she fell asleep watching TV. The pictures on the mantle. She threw every one that had Luke in it into the box. The candlesticks, too. He'd given her those. As she walked around the living room the box was filled with everything that reminded her of Luke. It was getting too heavy to hold.

She finally dropped it at her feet. She needed another box. There was too much stuff. Lorelai went back into the kitchen to find another one, but she couldn't find anything big enough.

Giving up, she went back into the living room again. The box full of his stuff was still sitting where she'd left it. With a groan she kicked it and its contents spilled out at her feet.

As the memories of Luke spilled onto the floor she started crying again. She couldn't get rid of everything that reminded her of him. If she did, she'd have to basically renovate the entire house. She would have to get rid of every piece of furniture and decoration in her house. She'd probably even have to sell the house. To leave Stars Hollow all together. No, she couldn't erase the memory of him from her life. It was an impossible task.

Lorelai was about to go up the stairs and just go to bed when she realized that she couldn't do that either. She couldn't sleep up there. She couldn't sleep in the room that she and Luke had shared so many nights together.

As Lorelai stood at the foot of the stairs, she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to do if Luke wasn't part of her life. She didn't know where she could go. She didn't know how she could have a life that didn't include him.


	3. I Can't Be Your Second Choice

**Chapter Three: I Can't Be Your Second Choice**

When she woke up the next morning she felt better. Things were clearer now. Lorelai felt more stoic than she had last night. She had cried. And she had gotten angry. Now she was empty and stoic. She had accepted that her life didn't include Luke anymore.

Looking at the clock she realized that she was late for work. She had slept in Rory's room and hadn't set the alarm clock. She threw the covers aside, rushing out of Rory's room and to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and tried to make her hair look decent. As she emerged from the bathroom she looked at the mess of the living room. Looking at it she felt nothing. She didn't feel anything this morning.

Lorelai rummaged through Rory's closet. She didn't want to go upstairs. She didn't want to go into her closet and find something to wear. It would all remind her of Luke. Rory had a black skirt and a black top. It looked decent enough for work.

As she shut the door to the house behind her, she looked up to find Luke standing in the front yard.

She descended the stairs, focused on getting to her Jeep.

"We need to talk." He followed her to her car.

"I'm late for work. I don't have time for this."

"Lorelai, this is important. We need to talk about last night."

She opened the door to the car and turned around to look at him. "We already talked, Luke. We talked last night. There is nothing left to say."

"You ambushed me. I didn't have time to think."

"You've had tons of time to think, Luke. You've had weeks to think."

"You didn't give me enough time to make a choice!" he protested.

"I gave you all the time in the world! I can't be the second string, Luke. I don't want a life where I am always standing at the window while you're outside playing with your daughter. I get that she's your kid and you want to be part of her life. But I should be just as important a part of your life as she is. And I'm not, Luke. I'm not. You made your decision last night."

"Lorelai, please…"

She shook her head. "I have to go." Closing the car door behind her, Luke could hear the sound of the engine as she put the car in reverse. He stood there watching her leave.

* * *

Sookie giggled when she saw Lorelai coming into the kitchen looking tired and a bit disheveled.

"Why are you so perky today?" Lorelai asked, picking up an apple and taking a bite.

"Did you and Luke have a late night?" she asked. Lorelai looked up at her with an expressionless face. "Flat hair, Rory's clothes, no make-up …. I just thought maybe you had a wild night…" Sookie giggled again.

"Luke and I broke up." She took another bite of the apple.

Sookie's face dropped. "What? Honey, what happened?"

"We broke up. That's all there is to it. No wedding. No relationship. We broke up."

"But you and Luke …." She looked up at Lorelai. "You're Luke and Lorelai. You guys can't break up."

Lorelai laughed uneasily. "Apparently we can."

"What happened?"

"I gave him a choice. He turned me down."

"What kind of choice?" she asked.

"I told him that I was tired of waiting to get married. I wanted to elope and he said no."

"Oh, Sweetie, I'm so sorry." She came around the counter to hug Lorelai.

"I thought that he was the one. I really thought that it was right this time."

"I know," Sookie said soothingly. "We all did."

Sookie could tell that her best friend was about to start crying. "Why don't you go home? You don't need to be here today. Michel and I've got it covered."

"I can't go home."

"Why not?"

"Everything there reminds me of him. And I don't want to think about him. I just want to move ahead."

"Okay, well … the plumber said we have a leak in three bathrooms and the wood underneath the floors is rotting."

Lorelai smiled. Sookie always knew how to take her mind off of her troubles.


	4. We'll Take I95

**Chapter Four: We'll Take I-95**

"That would be wonderful. No … no. As soon as you can start. Great. Thanks. Ok." Lorelai snapped her cell phone shut as she pulled into her driveway. She had spent three hours trying to find a person who could pull up the floor in the bathrooms and repair the rotten wood. It had literally turned into an all-day project. They'd had to close off the three guest rooms. That meant that they had to rearrange the whole scheduling book. Michel had complained for another three hours about that. She had been so busy worrying about the Inn all day that she hadn't allowed herself to think of Luke.

Lorelai had barely thought about him all day until she came to a stop in her driveway. His truck was parked there and he was leaning against it with his arms folded.

As she got out of the car, she walked towards him.

"What are you doing here?"

"You were right."

"What?" Lorelai shook her head. It didn't matter. "You shouldn't be here." She started to walk past him to the house.

"You were right about April. About everything. I shouldn't be trying to fit my life around her. I should be trying to fit her into our lives." Lorelai stopped and looked back at him. "You caught me off guard. I … I just needed some time to think. And I did. I realized that you were right about everything. I haven't been fair to you. I haven't included you." He made a motion with his hands. "But that's over now. From now on, it's me and you. And then everyone else. It's us and the rest of the world. We can do this, Lorelai. Let's elope. Right now."

"We can't." She shifted her legs, uncomfortably. The heels of her shoes dug into the dirt in the driveway.

"Why not?"

"I … I …" she stammered. She didn't know what to say.

"Exactly!" He clapped his hands together.

"Exactly what?"

"You can't think of a reason why we shouldn't do this." Luke stepped closer to her. "Come on, Lorelai. You said last night that you love me."

"I do," she whispered, looking down at the ground.

"Then marry me. Right now. We'll go to Martha's Vineyard. We can stop in New Haven and tell Rory. Then, we'll get on I-95 and just drive. You said that you went there once when you were a kid. I found a place on the Internet this morning. It'll only take us three or four hours to get there. We can wait and get married on Martha's Vineyard or we can get married before that. Whatever you want. Just say yes, Lorelai. Everything is packed. Just say yes!" He anxiously waited for her to answer him, praying that she'd say yes.

Lorelai looked at him. She looked into his eyes. He was serious. He really meant it.

It didn't take her long to decide. "I don't know where my raincoat is anymore."

"What? Your raincoat …" Luke looked at her confused. Was that an answer?

"When I was four and we went to Martha's Vineyard I remember that it rained a lot."

Luke smiled. That was a yes. That was her version of a yes! He lunged forward, pulling her into his arms. He lifted her off the ground, spinning around with her for a few seconds. Lorelai laughed.

He sat her back down on the ground. "That's a yes, right?" he asked, just to be safe.

"That's a yes," she nodded. Luke once again grabbed her. He pulled her face to his, kissing her hungrily.

"That's a yes," he repeated, kissing her again. "That's a yes!"

Lorelai pulled back. "I need to go pack."

Luke held onto her. "The point of eloping is that you just run off. You can't pack a bag if you are going to elope."

Lorelai looked at him incredulously. "I can't leave without taking my make-up, my toothbrush, my clothes …"

"It's all in the truck."

"What?" She looked behind him. The bed of his truck was packed full of stuff.

"It's all in the truck already. Your make-up bag. Your clothes. Your favorite curling iron."

Lorelai looked at him cautiously, a small smile on her face. "How did you know that I would say yes?"

He pulled her into his arms. "Because this is what is meant to be. Us. You and me. This is it, Lorelai. I'm in this for the rest of our lives."

She smiled, leaning forward to kiss him. "Let's go get married."


	5. I Think We Made A Wrong Turn Back There

**Chapter Five: I Think We Made A Wrong Turn Back There**

Luke and Lorelai got back in the truck. They'd stopped by Paris's apartment hoping to find Rory, but Rory wasn't there either. Paris didn't have a clue where she was or when she'd be back. However just getting that information out of her was hard enough. She had been racing down the hall when they stopped her to ask if Rory was home. She was apparently on her way to fencing practice. Neither Luke nor Lorelai knew what to make of that, but she had a sword in her hands so they didn't ask. She'd mumbled something about it not being called a sword as she disappeared down the hallway.

"What do we do now?" Luke asked.

"What do you meant 'What do we do now'?" she asked back. Lorelai reached for her seatbelt, buckling it in. "We get on I-95."

"We don't have to do this without Rory, you know. We can wait. It's OK."

Lorelai looked over at him. They had waited too long already. "I don't want to wait. I want to get married."

Luke smiled. "Ok. Then, let's go." He turned the key in the ignition and the truck started up.

"Martha's Vineyard here we come!" Lorelai squealed, as the car started moving.

They drove for about two hours talking about everything and nothing. It even felt like last night had never happened.

"I don't think we're going in the right direction, Luke."

"Of course we are," he protested. "You have the map in your hands. I've followed every direction that you've given me."

"Well," she hesitated. "I might have given you the wrong directions a few miles back."

"What?! It's written on that piece of paper. How could you give me the wrong directions? All you had to do was read it."

"Well, this says to take I-95 North to I-95 East."

"We did that," he confirmed.

"But it then says to take I-95 East to Cape Code/Providence."

"We did that, too."

"Yeah, but I think I forgot to tell you to merge right and go towards Cape Cod."

"That's great," he mumbled.

"I just saw a sign that says Massachusetts is ahead," she admitted. That meant they were going in the wrong direction.

"Martha's Vineyard is in Massachusetts, right? That's good."

"Yeah," she said uneasily. "But Pawtucket, Rhode Island means we're heading north."

"What does a town with a stupid name have anything to do with us going to Martha's Vineyard?"

"We're in Pawtucket right now."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I think we may be lost."

"We're not lost." He glanced over at the worried look on her face.

"Do you know where we are?" She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to admit that they were lost.

"Well, not at this moment."

"Then we're lost," she confirmed.

He decided to just give in. "Ok, we're lost. We'll just stop in the next town and ask for directions."

"Why don't we stop here and ask?" she suggested.

"Because I'm not stopping in a place named Pawtucket to ask for directions. It sounds like some town out of _Deliverance_."

"_Deliverance_ was in Georgia. We're in Rhode Island."

"All the same, I'd rather wait until the next town."

"Fine. We'll wait. But we're just going further in the wrong direction." She crossed her arms and sat back.

After a few minutes Lorelai started to laugh. She tried to stop herself, but she only laughed harder.

Luke glanced over at her. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"This," she motioned to the car and the road.

"This is funny?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "This is our future, Luke. This is how it's going to be for the rest of our lives. Me with the map and you driving and then me getting us lost."

"It isn't going to be like this," he confirmed. "From now on, I'll be the one driving and I'll also be the one with the map."

Lorelai laughed again. Luke didn't think she saw it, but Lorelai saw a smile flash across his face.

Finally getting off I-95, Luke pulled the car into a gas station to ask for directions. Lorelai stayed with the car while he went inside. After a few minutes he came back.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked as he got back into the truck.

"Well, we're apparently not too far off track. We've lost about an hour and it'll take us another two hours and a half hours to get there, but the man wrote it down for me. So, we won't get lost again."

"Ha! You admit it!"

"Admit what?" He looked over at her in bewilderment.

"That we're lost."

"I admitted that twenty minutes ago." He turned the key in the ignition.

Lorelai reached for the piece of paper but Luke held it from her reach. "I'll keep this," he said, putting it into his shirt pocket.

"Fine," she huffed, settling back into her seat.

It took three and a half instead of the two and a half hours that the man had said to finally reach their destination. When they got there, they found another obstacle in their way. They stood outside the truck in the parking lot at a ferry station.

"So, I didn't know that we'd need a vehicle reservation to get onto the island with the truck."

Lorelai looked over at Luke. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"Well, I guess we do what that woman at the front desk said. We get our stuff out of the car and we take the ferry over. We'll just have to leave the truck here."

"But Luke, we can't just leave everything in it." He had so much packed up in the truck bed.

"Well, we'll put the stuff that matters most inside the cab and leave the rest in the back. If it's gone when we come back, it's gone."

"Luke … no."

"Lorelai," he reached to brush his hand against her cheek. "I don't care about any of that stuff. They're just material possessions." Lorelai smiled.

"Okay. I'll get our luggage and go buy the ferry tickets. You fix the stuff in the back of the truck." Luke leaned forward to kiss her. He climbed on the back of the truck, dropping down their luggage to Lorelai. As she took the bags from him she couldn't help but wonder exactly what he had packed for her.


	6. What About The Marriage License

**Chapter Six: What About The Marriage License?**

Luke and Lorelai held hands as they walked towards the bed and breakfast. They both felt oddly giddy – even Luke, too. Luke was holding his bag in his other hand and Lorelai dragged her rolling suitcase behind them. The placed looked quaint. It looked quite small and like it didn't fit in with the rest of the island. Oddly enough, it looked perfect for them. They smiled at each other before they went inside. "Kind of like a Martha's Vineyard version of the Independence Inn," Lorelai commented as Luke opened the door for her.

There was an older woman at the front desk. Lorelai couldn't help but think that the woman looked kind of like Mia, too. The lady smiled as they approached her.

"Welcome to the Atwood Bed & Breakfast." Luke sat his bag down on the floor. "Do you have a reservation?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's under the name of Danes."

The woman looked through her book. "Oh yes, Mr. and Mrs. Danes." She smiled at them. "You called this morning."

"Uh, we're not Mr. and Mrs. Danes," he informed the woman.

"Yet," Lorelai added quickly, glancing over at Luke. She knew that he wasn't fond of public announcements and all the "girly stuff" that came with being engaged, but she was too happy at the moment to think about any of that.

"Oh, how sweet!" the woman proclaimed. "I love it when we have engaged couples. It reminds me of when I was young and in love."

"Well, we're not really that young," Lorelai conceded with a laugh.

"Well, young at heart, then." They both smiled. "Are you getting married here on the island?"

Lorelai and Luke looked at each other. "We hope so," he stated. "We haven't really made any plans." He took the piece of paper that the woman handed him and gave her his credit card.

"We're being a bit impetuous." Lorelai laughed, smiling at the old woman.

"Oh my... I'm afraid to tell you this."

"What?" they asked in unison. Luke and Lorelai looked at each other, worried, and then back at the woman.

"I'm guessing you don't have a marriage license yet. You called from Connecticut, right?" she asked. Luke nodded. "Your reservation is only for two nights."

"That's correct," Luke confirmed.

"We have a three day waiting period here in Massachusetts for marriage licenses. You're not residents, so you'll have to wait. Even if you make it down to the courthouse today, you'll still not have enough time if you are leaving on Monday." It was currently Saturday afternoon.

Lorelai looked over at Luke, a pained look in her eyes. "Then we'll just stay for three days," he announced. Lorelai sighed in relief, happy that he wasn't just giving up all together. "Can we extend our reservation?" he asked.

"Let me check." She looked down at the book in front of her. "We had a big cancellation yesterday. So, you're in luck."

"Great," he smiled, picking up his bag. "Where is that courthouse?"

"Just leave your bags over here," she motioned to them. "I'll call Brad, he's our concierge, to come down and tell you how to get to the courthouse. It's only a short walk from here or you can take the bus."

"Thanks," Lorelai smiled, grabbing the handle of her suitcase.

They both walked around the desk to put their luggage where the old woman had instructed them.

"I totally forgot about a marriage license," Lorelai admitted. She dug the heel of her shoe into the carpet. "Three days! Who comes to Massachusetts on a whim to get married?"

"Apparently we aren't the only ones," he surmised, sliding his arm around her waist. "I guess we'll just have to find something to do for three days."

The ideas started coming to Lorelai's mind the moment that Luke spoke. "If we have three days, then we can do this right, Luke. We can call Rory and April and bring them down here. I'm sure we can find a restaurant or something that we can do afterwards, kind of like a reception. I bet that I can find a white dress in some store on this island. I don't really care what it looks like. You can wear a suit or whatever it is that you consider the equivalent of a suit."

Luke smiled as he listened to her ideas. "If you want to hold off and have a real wedding in Stars Hollow, it's OK. Honestly. I know that you had a lot of plans before."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes, pulling out of his embrace. "No," she protested. "We tried that and it didn't work. I want this. I want to do this here and now. Three days is nothing."

Luke nodded. "Ok, well, we'll go get the marriage license and then we'll come back here. I'll call April and you can call Rory." He sighed. "I don't know if Anna will let her come on such short notice, though."

"It's your wedding, Luke. Anna will understand that."

"I hope so." He kissed her on the tip of her nose. "And if she doesn't, then we'll just have to tell April all about it when we get back home."

"Oh my God!" Lorelai suddenly pulled herself away from Luke. "Home! I forgot all about Paula Anka! He's been in the house all day!"

"Call Babette and ask her to keep an eye on him."

"You don't get it, Luke. He's been locked up in the house all day. The last time I left him alone for more than eight hours he ate the heels off all of my shoes! I like my shoes, Luke! They were expensive and I really like them!"

"Just calm down and call Babette. I'll find out how to get to the courthouse."

Luke watched as Lorelai rummaged through her purse trying to find her cell phone. He looked up to see a middle-aged man walking towards them, whom he guessed must be Brad the concierge.

He could hear Lorelai behind him ranting that she'd forgotten all about the Inn, too.


	7. He's In Barbados

**Chapter Seven: He's in Barbados**

"Hi, we're here to apply for a marriage license." Lorelai announced cheerily as they entered the courthouse.

"Vital records. Down the hall. Second door on the right." The woman pointed behind her. She didn't even lift her head up to look at them. "Check your bags with the guard."

They looked over and the man motioned for them to step forward. He took Lorelai's bag and looked inside. They then walked through the metal detector. The guard nodded as Luke thanked him and they walked down the hallway.

The room was empty so they stepped up to the glass window. "We're here to apply for a marriage license," Luke said to the man behind the window.

"Together?" the man asked. Luke nodded. "I'll need to see a picture ID from both of you. Do you live here in Massachusetts?"

"No, we hear there's apparently a three day waiting period?"

The man nodded as Luke and Lorelai each handed him their driver's licenses. "Are these the names you want on the certificate?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Is there any way we can get past the three-day waiting period? We'd really like to get married now." Lorelai smiled at the man, trying her best to be charming.

"You can petition the judge," he said, glancing up at her.

"Great! How do we do that?" He handed them each a form to fill out.

"You'd have to submit a request to the court."

"That sounds easy enough," Luke said, taking the papers from the man.

"The judge is out of town."

"There's not another judge?" Luke asked.

"We're a small island. Only need one judge. Not too much crime here."

"When does the judge get back?" Lorelai asked.

"Tuesday. He's in Barbados with his wife." Lorelai and Luke looked at each other. Tuesday was three days away. Either way they would have to wait three days. "Fill those papers out and bring them back to me."

They both walked away from the window to sit down in the plastic chairs nearby. "I guess we have no choice but to wait."

Luke nodded. "At least that gives Rory and maybe April time to get here."

"Yeah," Lorelai said solemnly.

"Hey…" She looked up at him. "You having second thoughts?" Luke asked.

"No, no, of course not. I just … it's my parents."

"What about them?" Luke started to fill out his form.

"Do I ask them to come, too? I know they're not that crazy about the idea of us, but they've been pretty good lately. My mother almost bought us a house."

He put his pen down. "What? She almost bought us a house?" he asked. When did he miss that?

"Yeah, it's a long story. I'll tell you later. It just seems like maybe they were really trying to make an effort, you know. And if I don't ask them to come, too, then is that going to change our relationship forever? They invited me to something once and I didn't go and it defined our whole relationship."

"It's up to you, Lorelai."

She looked down at the paper. "Let's just get the paperwork completed and I'll think about it when we get back to the inn."

They finished filling out the forms and gave them back to the man at the window. He told them to come back tomorrow to pick up the license.

Lorelai and Luke walked along the sidewalk back towards the inn.

"Mrs. Luke Danes," she announced, breaking the silence between them. "Lorelai Danes speaking. Yes, this is Lorelai Danes. Hi, I'm Lorelai Danes."

Luke laughed. "What in the world are you doing?"

"I'm practicing." He still didn't understand. "I've been Lorelai Gilmore for nearly forty years. Now I'm going to be Lorelai Danes. I have to get used to the new sound of my name."

Luke laughed. "You know you don't have to use my name, if you don't want to. You've been a Gilmore for a long time."

They stopped walking. "And I'll always be a Gilmore. But now I want to be a Danes, too. I want to be Lorelai Danes. It sounds kinda funny, don't you think? Kind of kinky and funky at the same time. Lorelai Danes... I like it!"

Luke leaned over to kiss her. "Me too," he agreed. "Go call Rory," he told her. "I'll call April."

Lorelai pulled out her cell phone, wandering away from Luke as he started scrolling through the numbers on his phone.

* * *

About ten phone calls later, Rory was on her way to pick up April. Logan, still feeling bad for having left for London without Rory, chartered a helicopter to pick them up in Hartford. It had taken a good bit of coaxing to convince Anna to let April go. When Luke called back to tell her that she could fly over with Rory, she'd agreed. That way she wouldn't have to drive April the whole way and then drive back home again.

They both sat outside at a small café near the beach. It was a really clear day and a lot of people were out sailing.

"So, my parents," she sighed. Lorelai stared down at her cell phone.

"Your parents," he repeated.

"I just … I don't want my mom to ruin this for me. Then I think maybe it's unfair to think that she would ruin it for me. They seemed to have accepted our marriage before." He looked at her strangely. "Ok, they weren't jumping off the walls with joy. But then when have they ever done that? I just don't want to make things worse between us and if I don't ask them to come …"

"I'm okay with whatever you decide," he promised.

Lorelai reached for her cell phone, pressing the number for her parents' house. She had to do it now or she never would. It rang a few times and she figured that she was going to get the machine. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when her mother answered the phone.

"Hi, Mom."

"Lorelai." She could tell that her mother was surprised that she was calling. Emily waited for Lorelai to say something but she was silent. "Is everything all right?" she asked her daughter.

"I'm getting married."

"What?" The last Emily knew her daughter had told her that there would be no wedding. Now she's telling her that there will be one after all.

Before her mother could ask her any questions Lorelai started talking. "Tuesday. Luke and I are on Martha's Vineyard. We decided to elope this morning, but you apparently have to wait three days to get a marriage license in Massachusetts. So, we're getting married on Tuesday."

Emily was silent. She didn't know what to say, but she finally spoke. "Well, that's … Congratulations, Lorelai." She waited for her daughter to speak. She didn't know what to say. Before she had expected Lorelai to run off and elope. She'd been waiting for it. Yet not anymore. Not after Lorelai told her that the wedding wasn't going to happen.

"Rory and April are on their way here now. I … uh … I know it's short notice, but I thought you and Dad might like to be here, too."

Emily was silent again. She had not expected this. Not at all. Lorelai was inviting her to her wedding, to her elopement. Was it still eloping if you had to wait three days?

"Where are you getting married?" Emily asked.

"What?" Why was her mother asking that?

"Your father and I inherited a house on Martha's Vineyard when Trix died. It was a summer vacation home. It's not that big, but it's in Vineyard Haven on the beach."

"We're in Vineyard Haven now," Lorelai confirmed.

"I don't know what plans you have, but you're welcome to use your grandmother's house."

"Does that mean you and Dad are coming?" Lorelai asked. Things suddenly seemed to be turning around for them.

"I'll need to check with your father first. I'll let you know."

"Ok, Mom. Bye."

She hung up the phone and looked at Luke. "I think I know where we can get married. My parents apparently own a home on the island."

"I should have figured that. Rich people always own homes on Martha's Vineyard."

"I don't know why it didn't hit me until now. We visited Trix there. It has this huge porch that opens up to the beach. I used to run from one end of the house all the way out the back and down the beach. I would throw myself into the water and splash around like I was having a seizure. It drove my mother crazy. I think that's why they never took me back." She laughed. "Well, that and my mother hated my Gran, so she refused to go visit her after I turned six or seven."

"Sounds perfect," Luke smiled. "The house, I mean, not that your mother hated your grandmother or anything."

Lorelai nodded. "Things are falling into place. Finally."


	8. Plans, Plans, And More Plans

**Chapter Eight: Plans, Plans, Plan and More Plans!**

Rory and April arrived just before dinner. The chopper had to land on the West Tisbury part of the island. The girls took a fifteen-minute bus ride and met Lorelai and Luke at the terminal.

"This is so exciting! And so cool! I've never ridden in a helicopter before. For a minute I thought I was going to get sick, but I just didn't look down. I've heard people talk about Martha's Vineyard before. It's so fancy. All those houses. I mean, wow!"

Luke hugged his daughter as she jabbered on about the island. He smiled at Lorelai.

"I'm really glad you guys invited us," April added.

"Me too," Rory agreed.

"Well, we've got nearly seventy-two hours to fill."

"I think that's just enough time. We have a lot of plans to make."

Lorelai looked at her daughter. "We have a location. What else do we need?"

"I don't know, Mom, maybe a minister to marry you and Luke?"

Luke and Lorelai looked at each other. They hadn't thought about that yet.

"Do you guys even have wedding bands?" They looked at each other again. "Suits? A dress?" Rory looked from her mother to Luke and back to her mother again. "Anything, Mom?"

"Uh, we just left Stars Hollow and came here."

"Then we've got some planning to do!" Rory took her mother's hand, walking ahead of Luke and April.

* * *

"So, how are you with all of this?" Luke asked.

"I'm good." She smiled at her father. "Really good. I like Lorelai. It'll be cool to have a stepmother. A friend of mine at school, her father got remarried last year. Her stepmother lets her stay up late and eat ice cream. Not that I think Lorelai will do that, but … she's cool. So is Rory."

"They're good people," he agreed.

* * *

"Did you call Grandma and Grandpa?" Rory asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yep."

"Are they coming?" she asked, not quite believing that her mother had actually called them.

"Mom said she'd have to check with Dad first."

"Of course they're coming. Grandma's probably just upset because she thinks that you planned all of this and then asked her at the last minute as an afterthought."

"No, I don't think she's upset." Rory looked at her mother as if she didn't believe her. "She actually offered to let us use their house for the wedding. Gran owned a place somewhere on the beach. Mom and Dad apparently own it now."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"So, you're getting married there?"

"I guess so. That's about as far as we've got."

"That's great, Mom," Rory smiled.

"That's a big step for Grandma to offer to let you use the house."

"I know," Lorelai agreed. "I know."

* * *

"Ohh … look!" April stopped walking and they all turned to see what she was looking at. It was a small dress shop across the street. Luke agreed to wait outside while the three of them went in.

Every once in a while he could see one of them through the window. April looked like she was having a good time. He was happy to know that she seemed to fit in really well. He wondered why he had thought before that she might not.

The girls came out of the store sometime later. Rory and April had bags over their arms. Lorelai was empty handed.

"So, what did we find?" he asked.

"Well," Lorelai explained. "Rory found a maid of honor dress."

"And April found something befitting the best man," Rory announced.

"It's a pants suit. You know, since I figured that I'd be the best man and all."

Luke nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner. I didn't even think that far ahead. That's perfect." April smiled. He turned to Lorelai. "What about you?"

"Nothing for me. I didn't see anything that I liked." She sighed. "Oh well. We have seventy hours left for me to find a white-ish dress." She looked to Rory. "Can I wear white?" she asked.

"I don't see why not," Rory confirmed.

"My Mom and Dad called while we were in the store. They'll be here tomorrow. Dad doesn't know what he did with the keys to the house. He thinks there is a set in the safe deposit box, but they can't get to it until in the morning. So, they'll drive over after they get the keys."

"Sounds great," Luke said. He knew Emily and Richard weren't his biggest fans, but he wanted Lorelai to be happy and he was OK if that meant including her parents in their wedding plans.

"So, any ideas where we can find a minister or justice of the peace?" Lorelai asked.

No one had an idea. "We've passed by a few churches. Maybe we should just go inside one and ask," April suggested.

* * *

They went into two churches. The first one was a Methodist church. The minister already had a funeral planned for Tuesday. He gave them the name of a Baptist minister down the street to try. When they got to the second church they found out that the minister was out of town until next week.

"We can't get married if we don't have someone to marry us," Lorelai lamented.

"We'll find someone. We still have a day and a half." Lorelai looked at Luke. She knew that he was right. They'd find someone … hopefully.


	9. My Husband Is A Rabbi

**Chapter Nine: My Husband Is A Rabbi**

Emily and Richard arrived on the island around noon the next day. Richard dropped Emily off at the Inn to have lunch with the girls and Luke while he went to the house. It had been a while since he'd been there, since Trix died. Emily got the impression that he wanted to go alone. So, she didn't say anything when he suggested that he drop her off with Lorelai and Rory. They weren't at the Inn when she got there. The woman at the front told her that they had left an hour or so ago and didn't say where the group was going.

Emily had thought about waiting for them, but she decided to take a walk instead. It had been a while since she'd been here in Vineyard Haven. When she and Richard would vacation, they would usually go to Cape Code instead. It was further away from Trix and thus Emily preferred it. She found herself walking down Main Street. She knew that it wouldn't be there, but she decided to walk over anyways. It was a small café and there was no way it was still in business forty-two years later.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory walked back into the Inn. Luke was standing next to the front desk talking to the concierge. She and Rory walked over to where he was.

"Hey, any luck so far?" she asked.

"Nope. What about you guys?"

Lorelai shook her head. "We even went down to the Chilmark part of the island. Someone told us about this old church that's been there since like 1915."

"That sounds good…."

"Yeah, it does, but the minister is apparently going to the wedding at the church Edgartown on Tuesday."

"I still want to know … who gets married on a Tuesday?" Lorelai asked.

"Besides us, you mean?" Luke reminded her.

The old woman at the desk walked over to where they were standing. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said quietly. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You're trying to find a minister?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. We've had no luck so far. Tuesday is apparently a very popular day on the island."

"Well, I don't know how you'd feel about this, but I may be able to help."

"Really? How?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, we're desperate at this point," Lorelai added.

"My husband is a rabbi. He's retired now, but he's still licensed in Massachusetts to perform lifecycle ceremonies. I don't know how you'd feel about being married by a rabbi as it sounds like you are trying to find a minister." The woman was so soft-spoken and sweet.

"Uh, I don't have a problem with that. Do you Luke?" She glanced over at her fiancé.

"I guess not. I mean, a man of God is a man of God, right? I'm not really that religious."

Rory was bouncing up and down with excitement. "Now you have a cool story to tell everyone back at home! This is perfect!"

"Yeah, it is," Lorelai smiled. She turned back to the woman. "Thank you so much. Thank you."

"My husband is visiting his sister in Rhode Island until tomorrow. I'll make sure that he finds you as soon as he gets back."

"Thank you so much!" Lorelai beamed. Now they had a location, dresses for Rory and April, and someone to marry them. She just had to find something for herself to wear. And wedding bands. And a few other things.

* * *

Emily walked back into the Inn to find her daughter, granddaughter, and future son-in-law standing in the lobby.

Lorelai saw her approaching them. "Mom, where's Dad?" she asked. Rory moved to hug her grandmother.

"Well, hello Lorelai, it's nice to see you, too." She eyed her daughter. Lorelai looked really happy. "Your father is at the beach house."

"You didn't go with him?" Rory asked.

"No, Rory, I didn't. I think he wanted to be alone. He spent a lot of time there as a child with his mother."

"Are we supposed to meet him there later or something?" Lorelai asked.

"I hadn't thought of that, but I suppose so. You probably want to see the house, after all..." she hinted. Emily looked over to Luke. He wasn't the man that she had wanted for her daughter, but she was starting to accept that he was the man that Lorelai wanted. She would never admit it, but she had actually been a bit disappointed when Lorelai told her that the wedding wasn't going to happen. If Lorelai couldn't be with Christopher, then she at least knew that she would be safe and taken care of with Luke. That was at least what a mother wanted for her child, to be safe and happy. And Lorelai did seem happy with this man. Now, at least. She hadn't seemed that happy a few weeks ago, but things always tend to move rapidly with Lorelai.

"Mom, you still with us?"

Emily looked up at her daughter, pulled out of her thoughts. "Of course I am. Where else would I be?"

"You just seemed kinda zoned out for a minute…"

"I do not 'zone out', Lorelai. I was just trying to think if I know the way from here. It's a bit too far to walk."

"We can get a cab, Grandma," Rory suggested.

"Or we can take the bus," Emily suggested. The three of them all stood in silence, starting at her. "What?"

"Do they have surveillance videos in this place?" Lorelai asked, looking around.

"What are you mumbling about, Lorelai?"

"Did you just seriously suggest that we take the bus?" Emily nodded. "You? My mother? You suggested that we take a bus?"

Emily sighed. "My Lord, Lorelai, it's not that monumental. I've taken a bus before."

"When?" Emily looked at her daughter incredulously. "Where? I want details. Dates. Witnesses"

"Are we going or not?" she asked.

"I'll go get April. She's upstairs." Emily smiled, watching as Luke disappeared up the staircase.

"Really, seriously, Mom, do you need to lie down or something?"

"Will you stop, Lorelai! It's what people do on this island. They walk, ride a bike, or take a bus. It's not that uncommon."

"I just can't picture you on a bus."

"Well, too bad you didn't bring a camera. You could capture the memory forever." Lorelai's eyes lit up. "Don't you even dare," Emily warned.

"Oh My God!" Rory exclaimed.

"Not you too, Rory…"

"No, Grandma, I just realized … we don't even have a camera to take pictures of the wedding!"

"Great. Another thing to add to the list," Lorelai mumbled.

"I'm sure there is a store somewhere on this island where you can buy a camera."

"And when do we have the time to find that store, Mom? I'll have to pencil it in between finding a wedding dress, find a jewelry store, finding a tux for Luke, and eating dinner."

"It's really not that difficult, dear."

"What? Are you serious? There are a million things to do and only forty-eight hours left to do them!"

Emily laughed. "Delegate."

"What do you mean, Grandma?"

"Well, for instance, you send Luke to go find a tux. He can take April with him if you want to make sure it's decent. If not, we can send her to find a camera. She sounds like the type of young woman who would know which one to choose."

"Ok, that sounds good," Lorelai nodded.

"Rory goes to find somewhere suitable to have dinner afterwards. She knows what kind of food you like to eat." Lorelai nodded. "And you come with me to see the house."

"Simple enough."

Rory smiled. "Grandma's the pro at this." She turned to her mother. "You guys go on. I'll tell Luke and April the plan when they come down."

"Thanks, kid."

Lorelai followed her mother outside. "So, we're really taking a bus?" Emily rolled her eyes, adjusting her purse over her shoulder as they walked. "If I go out to the shed in the backyard ... I won't find a pod out there with an exact replica of you inside it, will I?" Emily ignored her daughter's incomprehensible pop culture reference and walked on.


	10. It's Perfect, Mom

**Chapter Ten: It's Perfect, Mom**

Lorelai was giddy as they got off the bus. She'd never in a million years imagined that she would see her mother sitting on a bus. She continued to yammer on about it as they walked down the road. Emily ignored her daughter's teasing and continued walking. She'd forgotten how beautiful it was on Martha's Vineyard.

Lorelai stopped walking when she spotted her father's car. "That's what you call a beach house?" she asked, looking to her mother. The place was huge. It had a small front yard that led up to a huge porch. The porch seemed to wrap around the entire length of the house. It was painted white. The only color came from the flowerboxes on the windows and the landscaping, which was, of course, immaculate. "I thought you guys hadn't been here in years."

"We haven't," Emily confirmed.

"So how is the place so … perfect?"

Emily smiled, content that her daughter was happy with the place. "Just because we don't come here doesn't mean that we don't pay to keep the house decent. There are certain ordinances in the neighborhood."

"Why didn't you guys just sell the place?" Lorelai asked as they walked up the front walk. She kept looking from side to side, trying to take it all in.

"It's special to your father. He wouldn't dream of anyone outside the family owning this place." Emily turned the doorknob and pushed the door open for her daughter. "Go inside."

Lorelai stepped over the threshold. As she entered the foyer, she gasped. There was a crystal chandelier above her head and a large spiral staircase to the right. The foyer opened up into the grand room. Lorelai walked along in awe. The living room was immaculately decorated.

Emily smiled at her daughter's reaction. "That's exactly what your grandmother wanted when she designed this place."

"What?"

"That reaction," Emily informed her. "She wanted people to walk in here and think they were in Europe."

"This is amazing, Mom. I can't believe you and Dad don't come here."

"It has a few good memories, but I'd rather visit somewhere that doesn't scream so loud of your grandmother."

Lorelai smiled. She felt a little bad that hearing her mother say that only made her want to get married here all the more.

"You father and I did have our engagement party here," Emily reminisced. "I think the only reason Trix suggested it was to intimidate my parents with the Gilmore wealth, but it was a lovely party."

"Did I hear someone say the word party?" Richard asked, coming off the veranda and stepping back in the house.

"Dad … this place." Lorelai made a motion with her hands. "I can't believe I don't have any memories of this."

"Well, you were only four years old the last time we brought you here. You broke quite a few of Trix's belongings and she requested that we not bring you back."

"So, it's really quite perfect that you get married here. A final nail in her coffin," Emily added.

"Emily!" Richard scolded. Emily smiled defiantly.

"I thought you and Luke might like to get married outside," Richard suggested. "Would you like to see the veranda?" Lorelai nodded, following her father outside. She was still quite surprised by her parents behavior. She knew they didn't like Luke that much, but they seemed to really be making an effort. For now, she was glad that she had called them. They would probably do something to upset her soon, but she found herself surprised by the fact that she actually wanted them to be here.

As they stepped outside, Lorelai gasped again. This was not a veranda. It was a million dollar view. There was a large back porch that led to a dock. It narrowed as it neared the water, but it was still large enough for a few people to stand around. Lorelai smiled. That was where she wanted to get married, at the end of the dock.

"I just don't know what to say," she whispered. "It's amazing out here."

"Yes, it is," Richard agreed. He had thought that being here would be sad and bring back memories of his beloved mother. While it did bring back memories of her, it wasn't sad at all. He was happy to be here with his wife and daughter. It really seemed quite fitting. He'd never imagined that Lorelai would want to be married here. He'd actually never imagined that he'd actually be at her wedding. When Emily told him yesterday that Luke and Lorelai had gone to Martha's Vineyard to elope, he hadn't been surprised at all. He had been surprised when she had told him that they were invited to attend.

As Emily watched Richard and Lorelai she had an idea. She excused herself from the two of them while Lorelai walked around trying to figure out where people would stand. When she came back down ten minutes later Richard and Lorelai were laughing about something.

"Lorelai, would you come upstairs with me for a minute?" Emily asked.

"Sure, Mom." She pushed herself out of the deck chair and followed her mother. "What's going on?"

Emily crossed the living room, ascending the large staircase. "Well, I had an idea. You don't have to say yes. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it."

"What is it, Mom?" Lorelai asked. Emily opened the door to a room and led her inside. "My God, this place keeps getting more amazing by the second. Gran was quite the decorator!!" Emily eyed her daughter. "Sorry, Mom."

Emily walked to the closet as Lorelai sat down on the bed. She sighed. It felt like heaven.

"I had forgotten this was here until now," she informed her daughter, pulling a garment bag out of the closet. "Like I said, you don't have to like it." She unzipped the bag. "It's what I wore to your father and my engagement party. It's really kind of plain and simple," she said, taking the dress out of the bag.

Lorelai looked at it in silence. It was rather plain. And simple. It looked to be a knee-length dress. It was solid white. To be so old, it was in immaculate condition, especially if it had been in that closet for forty years. It was made of a silky material. It had slightly capped sleeves and a boat neck. The dress had a thin red belt around the waist that looked like it could be removed, if so desired.

Emily watched her daughter. Lorelai was silent. She knew that her daughter probably wouldn't like the dress. "It's all right, Lorelai. I said that you didn't have to like it."

Lorelai finally spoke. "No – It's … It's perfect, Mom."

"Really?" Emily's voice conveyed her surprise. Lorelai nodded. "I used to be your size once, so I think it will fit you. If not, I'm sure there is a tailor in town. It shouldn't take them too long to fix with the right amount of money."

Lorelai smiled as she stood up and took the dress from her mother. "I'm going to go try it on," she said, leaving her purse on the bed.


	11. The Details

**Chapter Eleven: The Details**

Emily drove Lorelai back to the Inn. She didn't want to hear her daughter talk about the bus again. Really, did the girl know her at all? She'd taken a bus many times. Just not the horrid ones that they have back home. She and her best friend from college, Melinda, had once taken a bus ride all the way down to Washington, D.C. to see a boy that Melinda had met.

Lorelai opened the car door, but lingered for a moment before getting out. "Thanks for the dress, Mom. It's perfect."

Emily smiled. "I'm glad." She watched her daughter get safely inside before she left to go back to the beach house with Richard. She was going to surprise him for dinner and take him back to the restaurant she'd found earlier today. It wasn't the same name or the same people as it had been their first time here on the island, but there was still a restaurant in the location. That was close enough.

* * *

When she got up to the room Rory was already there. April and Luke weren't back yet. "Any luck?" Lorelai asked, going to the closet to hang up the dress.

"Yeah, I think so. What's that?" Rory asked.

"I found a dress," she announced. "It's Mom's."

"What?" Rory asked. Did she just hear that correctly?

"She and Dad had an engagement party or something here. I have no clue why but the dress was still in the closet. And it's actually in good condition. You'd think to be forty years old and be my mother's dress that it would suck, but it doesn't."

"Can I see it?" Rory asked.

"Sure," Lorelai smiled. "On Tuesday."

"Mom! That's not fair! Grandma got to see it!"

"Because Grandma wore it," Lorelai argued.

"Maybe I'll wear it one day, too, like a tradition or something."

"So, what did you find?" Lorelai asked, plopping down on the bed.

"Well, the first place I found was this really cool Thai restaurant."

"Oooh … we love Thai food."

"I know, but then I thought that maybe Luke wouldn't like Thai food. And maybe Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't either. So, I kept on looking. Down the street was this Mexican place. It looked just like you and Luke. The walls were a funky color, but it was really cool. Then it kinda hit me that Mexican food doesn't always agree with you. And since it's your wedding night, you guys don't want to spend it in the bathroom."

"That's true," Lorelai agreed.

"Okay, so I met this guy on the street."

"You met a guy on the street."

"Yeah," Rory confirmed. "He said that –"

"Was he cute?"

"Mom! Focus! He said that there is a –"

"It's a simple question, Rory. Was he cute?"

Rory sighed. "Yeah, sort of. If you like that Brad Pitt look."

Lorelai let out a defeated sigh. "Oh." She looked up at her daughter. "Go on."

"I'll just cut to the chase since details are apparently distracting. There is a restaurant at the Marina. I know it sounds kinda of awkward, but it was a really nice place. They have a big dining room and you can overlook the water while you eat."

"I think it sounds nice," Lorelai agreed.

Rory smiled. "I hope that Luke will think so, too." She looked over at the clock. It was nearly seven. "I wonder where they are."

"I don't know, but I hope they had good luck like we did."

"I can't believe that everything is working out so perfectly," Rory commented. "The house, the rabbi, the dress, it's all falling into place. Kinda like it's meant to be."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah," she agreed.

* * *

When Luke and April came back about an hour later Lorelai and Rory were asleep on the bed. Luke laughed at the sight of them as he held the door open for April. Hearing the two of them laugh awakened Lorelai.

"Hey, how'd it go?" she asked groggily. Rory popped her head up at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Found a suit," he confirmed, holding up his arm with the garment bag folded across it. "It cost a fortune."

"Found a camera, too," April added, holding up the shopping bag.

"It's some kind of digital fancy thing. It apparently records onto a DVD."

"Yep," April confirmed, "that way you guys can have a movie of the wedding. Then we can review the movie and make whatever pictures you want from the still images."

"Do you know what she's saying?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Not a clue."

"Good. Me either."

April smiled. "I'll take care of it. You guys just concentrate on the vows." Lorelai and Luke looked at each other, both of them taken by surprise. "You guys have thought about your vows, haven't you? Dad? Lorelai?"

"Uh, I thought you just said standard stuff. Like 'I do' and 'Repeat after me' kinda stuff."

"You can, but that's so last year," April informed them. "I went to a wedding once where the bride and groom wrote their own stuff. It was a lot more fun than just the usual 'repeat after me' lines."

Luke looked to Lorelai to see what she wanted. She shrugged. "More to think about, I guess."

Luke went to the closet to hang up his suit. "Hey, did you find something to wear?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's from my mother." Luke stood still, slowly turning around to look at Lorelai. She had to be joking. When he turned around she would surely start laughing. She didn't. "It's OK," she reassured him. "It's a great dress." He looked as if he didn't quite believe her. "A really great dress, Luke. You'll love it."

He smiled. "I'd love you in anything."

"Can we cut the wedding talk for a few hours and go to dinner?" Rory asked. "I'm starving."

"You went to practically every restaurant in town. How are you hungry?" Lorelai asked.

Rory looked at her as if she couldn't believe that her mother had just asked her that. "I only ate appetizers everywhere that I went. I didn't get a full meal."

Luke laughed. The two of them had bottomless stomachs. Thank God he owned a diner or he'd never be able to keep them fed.


	12. It's Silly But Newlyweds Are Giddy

**Chapter Twelve: It's Silly, But Newlyweds Are Giddy And Ridiculously In Love**

Monday afternoon Luke suggested taking everyone out sailing. To the group's surprise Richard and Emily announced that not only did Trix also have a home on the island but she had a rather decent sailboat, too. Luke and Lorelai had figured that it was an old, rusty boat that Trix had left behind. It wasn't. In fact, she had bought it three years ago and only used it once before her death. She had never actually been on the boat, having not been to Martha's Vineyard in seven years. Marilyn and some of her friends had taken it out once but no one since then.

Richard and Luke took control of the boat. Having an important task like steering the boat kept their minds off the fact that they weren't too fond of each other. April and Rory stood nearby, listening in amusement to the two of them. Emily refused to let anyone dive off the boat and into the water. Who knows what diseases or dangerous sea life were down there, she argued. Richard remembered a place, Eastville Beach, that was good for swimming. They group returned to the marina and took the bus to the beach. Lorelai had once again made her not-so-amusing jokes about seeing her mother on a bus. Everyone ignored her this time.

Rory and April ran for the water the moment that their towels had hit the sand. Richard decided to take a walk along one of the nearby trails, coercing Luke into joining him. Lorelai watched as her father and fiancé walked out of sight. She plopped down on a towel next to her mother, who had yet to take her eyes off of April and Rory. The girls were now fully submerged in the water splashing at each other and laughing.

"So, what's up with Dad and Luke?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know," Emily commented. "I guess your father wants to know more about him."

Lorelai huffed. "So he's suddenly Dad's favorite person?"

"I didn't say that, Lorelai," Emily glanced over at her daughter. "Your father and I are both trying to accept this marriage, Lorelai. As of tomorrow Luke will be a member of this family."

Lorelai smiled. He would be a member of the family. Well, in her heart, he was already a part of her family. He had been for a long time. But tomorrow would make it official. He, she, Rory, and April would be a family tomorrow.

"I brought something with me from Hartford," Emily announced. She turned to pick up her bag, which was resting on Rory's towel. Pulling out the box, she handed it to Lorelai. It was a square-shaped white box. It had a ribbon tied around it, but the ribbon was flat and looked quite sloppy. It wasn't the typical present Lorelai was used to receiving from her mother, the Queen of Gift Wrap.

"It's been in the closet for quite a few years now. I was planning to give it to you when you married Max, but, well, that didn't quite work out."

It took her a moment, but Lorelai finally remembered. "The wedding present you bought! I can't believe you actually kept it."

"I told you that I was going to keep it until you got married."

Lorelai smiled, taking the box. "Gee, thanks, Mom." She quickly cast the ribbon aside, opening the box. Inside was a book. It was a satin-covered book that had the word 'Memories' etched on the outside.

"It's really quite silly," Emily admitted. "My best friend gave me one when I married your father." Lorelai opened the book, turning to the first page. It had a spot for the name of the bride and the groom and information about their wedding. "It's a memory book for your first year of marriage. You put all details about your wedding and your honeymoon. It has a page for things that you discover about each other and adventures that you have. When you're first married you're ridiculously in love and giddy all the time. You want to save every moment because you think it's all too perfect and you don't want to forget a single detail." Emily laughed, remembering when she herself was such a hopeless romantic wildly in love with her new husband. "Then time passes and you forget about the book until you find it one day years later. And then you remember how happy you were and how lucky you are to still be with the man that you love."

Lorelai continued to flip through the empty pages, looking at the prompts. "Thanks, Mom. This is really sweet."

Emily shrugged. "It seemed like something that you would enjoy."

Lorelai nodded, looking up at her mother. Rory and April came running up the beach, dripping wet. "Hey! Watch it!" Lorelai closed the book, putting it back into the box for safekeeping. Emily instinctively leaned in the other direction as Rory stood above her, toweling herself dry.

"Where's my Dad?" April asked.

"He went off with Richard. We don't really know where they went." April looked at Emily. She seemed like a cool lady. But she didn't really know her all that well.

The four of them waited in the sun for Richard and Luke to return. By the time they did Rory and April had almost completely dried off.

"Well, Ladies, and by 'Ladies' I don't meant you Lorelai," Richard announced, "we have plans this evening."

Lorelai huffed. "What about me, Dad?"

"You have other plans, Lorelai."

"What kind?"

Richard ignored her questions. "We're basically on the Oakdale Bluffs part of the island right now, so I thought we might go see the Flying Horses Carousel." He looked from Rory to April.

"Oh, Richard, that's a wonderful idea!"

"What's that, Grandpa?" Rory asked.

"It's the oldest platform carousel still operating in the country."

"That sounds cool," April enthused.

"Yeah, it does," Rory agreed.

"It's really neat," Emily added. "Your Grandfather took me there when we first visited the island."

"That was many, many years ago," Richard reminded her. Emily narrowed her eyes at him, causing him to laugh. "Many wonderful years ago," he corrected himself, causing her to smile.

"What if we want to go see this carousel thing, too?" Lorelai asked. She didn't want to be left out. It sounded like a fun evening.

"I told you Lorelai, you have others plans this evening."

"No, I don't."

Luke cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, you do." Lorelai turned to look at him, a smile starting to spread across her face.

"What kind of plans?"

"Has she always been like this?" he asked, looking to Emily and Richard for confirmation.

They both nodded. "We used to have to send her a lunch to school every day when she was a child because she would get so excited in the lunch line asking about what they were serving the next day that she disrupted the workers and the other students."

"That explains it," Luke mumbled. He reached for Lorelai's elbow to guide her away from the group. "We'll catch you guys later. Have fun, April."

"I will. Thanks, Dad!" she called after them.

"You better have good plans for me because this carousel sounds pretty top-notch. I don't know if you can live up to the suspense," Lorelai teased.

"If not, you can just blame me for the rest of our lives."

* * *

"How did you know about this?" Lorelai asked as they walked around in amazement. There were hundreds of Japanese and Chinese lanterns everywhere, hung from the houses. They could hear live music coming from just down the road.

"Your father told me," he admitted. "He thought you might enjoy it and that we might want a little bit of time alone before the wedding."

"I just can't believe this," she commented. "It's amazing."

Luke nodded. "He said that it started about a century ago as a way to welcome the Governor when he would come for a visit. It turned into a tradition."

Everything was dark except for the lanterns that provided just enough light to cast an enchanting glow over the area.

"So, tomorrow, huh?" she said solemnly, as they walked along the row of lanterns.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow's the day."

"You nervous?" she asked.

"Nah. You?" He turned his head to look at her.

She hesitated for a moment. "A little bit. Mostly about wearing high heeled shoes on a dock and falling backwards into the water. Not about getting married, though."

Luke smiled. "It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?"

Lorelai nodded. "Fifteen years, really."

"It almost doesn't seem real," he commented. Lorelai agreed. "My mother would be really happy if she could be here."

Lorelai smiled. "I think I would have liked your mother."

Luke nodded. "She would have been crazy about you."

"It would have been nice to have one parent that we actually want to visit on holidays."

"Your parents seem like they are doing better lately. I wouldn't say that your Dad likes me, but he did let me sail his boat and told me about this place. I guess that's progress in the Gilmore universe."

"Things move at a snail's pace in our world." She sighed. "Mom is letting me wear her dress, though, and she gave me a really nice gift today. It's a memory book for your first year of marriage." Luke looked at her funny. "Don't worry. I won't make you write in it."

He smiled. "Thanks."


	13. The Big Day Is Here

**Chapter Thirteen: The Big Day Is Here**

"Ok, I'm coming out, but you guys have to promise that even if I look horrible you'll lie to me."

"Mom! Come on!" Rory protested.

"It's my wedding day," Lorelai said through the closed door.

"We're all aware of that, Lorelai." Emily rolled her eyes at her daughter's behavior. She had locked herself in the bathroom, refusing anyone's help to get ready. She said she knew exactly how she wanted to look and she didn't need any help.

"I'm sure you were a diva on your wedding day, Mother!"

Emily huffed. "Well, I definitely did not shut myself in the bathroom and refuse to let my mother or daughter see me for over two hours!"

"You have another daughter besides me?"

"Lorelai! Stop playing games with me and come out here this instant!"

"Fine!" she groaned, flinging the door open.

Everything in the room stopped.

April had been brushing her hair in the background, but her movements ceased as Lorelai stepped forward.

"I thought I told you people to just lie to me…"

They all remained silent.

Emily looked at her daughter. She didn't think she'd ever seen her so beautiful in her entire forty years. Despite having worn the same dress that Lorelai was now wearing, it looked entirely unfamiliar to her. It looked like it was made for Lorelai's body. It clung to her and graced her curves. The capped sleeves gave her the elegant look of a cool summer afternoon yet the tight-fitting bodice gave her the silhouette of a bride on the cover of a million dollar magazine spread. Her hair had a light crimp in it and hung at her shoulders. You could barely tell that she was wearing make-up. The light gloss on her lips sparkled along with her bright eyes.

Lorelai heard her mother sniff as Emily turned her head away from her daughter and brought her hand to her face. April stood up, crossing the room to hand Emily a tissue. Rory also took one from her.

"What?" Lorelai asked, moving towards the full-length mirror in the corner. She inhaled sharply at her reflection. It hit her. "I'm the bride," she whispered.

Rory appeared next to her. "You're gorgeous."

"Yes, you are," Emily agreed. Lorelai looked into the mirror to see her mother standing behind her.

April watched the three of them. She didn't know their history or very much about them, but it made her smile to see the three generations of Gilmore women. She was happy to know that she would soon be part of their family.

They all jumped when they heard a knock on the door. "Lorelai…" Lorelai smiled at the sound of her father's voice on the other side of the door. "The rabbi is ready whenever you are."

"What about Luke?" she asked.

"He's been ready for over an hour now. The two of us have been making the rabbi uncomfortable for at least a half an hour now trying to carry on a decent conversation with the man. I don't know that much about Jewish history and I drive a German car. "

The ladies laughed. "We'll be right down, Daddy."

"I'm going to go check on my Dad," April said, rising from her seat to slip out the door.

Emily looked from her daughter to her granddaughter. "Why don't I go downstairs with the others and let the two have some time alone?" she suggested. She was nearly to the door when Lorelai called after her.

"Mom…" Emily stopped, turning back to face her daughter. "I'm really glad you're here."

Emily smiled. "Me too, Lorelai."

As soon as they heard the door close both Lorelai and Rory emitted a high-pitched squeal.

"You're getting married!" Rory gushed.

"I know! I can't believe this is actually happening. I'm marrying Luke."

Rory smiled. "Now, I know I'm not your mother but I can give you the birds and the bees lecture if you want to go traditional…" Lorelai laughed. "Granted it would be a paraphrase of the version that you told me when I was seven…"

"I think I'll pass," she said, remembering Rory's horrified face.

"Well, then, are you ready?" Rory asked, picking up a bouquet of flowers off the table. They were from Trix's garden.

Lorelai took a deep breath, looking at her imagine in the mirror one last time. "I've been ready for a long time."

* * *

Luke looked down at his watch. There was only so much he knew about golf and architecture and he was starting to think that the rabbi was uncomfortable with their awkward conversation, too.

Rory suddenly came bounding down the stairs and out onto the veranda. "We're ready!" she announced.

Luke felt his heart flutter. He was about to get married and the most important people in his life were there with him. He even felt as if his mother were with him, too.

Emily rose from where she had been sitting. Richard stopped to kiss her cheek before going into the house.

April stepped into place next to the rabbi as Luke positioned himself where they had planned earlier. He took a deep breath as he watched his future mother-in-law take her place next to Rory.

He was straightening the arm of his tux when he looked up to see Lorelai and her father rounding the corner. The sight of her took his breath away. She smiled at him, but he was too captured by the sight of her to move even his facial muscles. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire life. As Lorelai approached him, he saw his future flash before his eyes. Images of the women in his life played out in his mind. Rory wearing a cap and gown. His daughter standing uncomfortably in front of him as he took a picture of her and her prom date. Standing next to Lorelai as she held a baby in her arms. He could see his entire future and he couldn't wait to spend it with his wife.


End file.
